ALUROUT: Sino-German Logistics Alumni Network

Establishment of a network for logistics professionals

The research project ALUROUT aims to establish a Sino-German network in the field of logistics.

Our network allows a constant exchange between German and Chinese logistic experts from science and industry - sharing expertise and experiences: A solid base to identify and initiate collaborative projects.

Together we ROUTe the logistics of tomorrow.

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About ALUROUT

Especially in times of the challenging digital transformation and Industry 4.0, cooperative and standardized logistic solutions are required, which will introduce profitable opportunities as well as innovative scientific and economic progresses. The exploitation of these opportunities will lead to a long-term strengthening and worldwide positioning of Germany and China as a science location.

The IML already maintains numerous relations with Chinese research institutions and companies, some of which go back many years, so that we have extensive experience with Chinese business conditions, research infrastructures and Chinese culture.

AlumniRouter as center of cooperation

The Fraunhofer IML sees great potential in the targeted organization of a German-Chinese network with continuous alumni work and the establishment of fixed locations of cooperation, our so-called "Alumni Routers", in Qingdao (China) and Dortmund. At network events, taking place alternately in Germany and China, an intensive exchange of knowledge between the alumni enables a joint identification and promotion of topics relevant to science and industry.

Sign up and benefit from our program!

The following persons from industry and science in the disciplines of logistics, production, supply chain management, digitisation or Industry 4.0, who have gained experience through stays in the other country for at least three months, are invited to contact the project team and join our alumni network:

Persons who have obtained a masters, bachelors, Diploma degree in China or Germany

Persons who graduated (PhD) in China or Germany

Persons who have completed study, research and teaching stays in China or Germany (short and long-term stays)

Persons who have completed a working stay after graduation as part of their main occupation

You are invited to contact the project team and join the alumni network - free of charge!

Project background

The research project started in October 2017 and is funded by the BMBF for a period of three years. After a validation of the concept and definition of measures following the funding, the continuity of the project is to be ensured.

ALUROUT is one of seven funded projects contributing to the thematic and subject-specific networking of German and Chinese alumni. The corresponding website of the Sino-German Alumni Networks (DCHAN) can be found here.

More details will follow in the next weeks. We hope, to see you at our ALUROUT events in 2020!

November 2019: Sino-German Logistics Forum in Qingdao

On 20 November 2019 the ALUROUT network meeting was held for the first time in Qingdao. The Sino-German Logistics Forum brought together more than 30 German and Chinese experts from industry and science at the Sino-German Ecopark. The event was organized and carried out jointly by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and the Sino-German Institute for Applied Research and Promotion (iFP), which opened in summer 2018.

IML Institute Director Prof. Michael Henke opened the forum with a keynote speech in which he presented the possibilities of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. In his presentation he pointed out how important it is to link these technologies with each other and to integrate different IoT applications, for example through blockchains, in order to enable smart object management. The technologies and applications mentioned currently play a key role in both Germany and China and offer opportunities for deeper cooperation, especially in logistics and supply chain management.

Prof. Dianjun Fang and industry representatives from Siemens and Haier also presented the opportunities and future possibilities of German-Chinese cooperation at the event and discussed them further in a concluding panel discussion. After a joint lunch, the participants visited the Haier Institute of Industrial Intelligence. During this visit, representatives of Haier presented their mass customization model COSMOPlat, which represents a complete ecosystem of the industrial Internet.

September 2019: Successful German-Chinese Logistics Forum in Dortmund

At the German-Chinese Logistics Forum and the 2nd ALUROUT Meeting in Germany on 11 September 2019, around 50 alumni from China and Germany met at the Fraunhofer IML to discuss current trends in logistics and German-Chinese cooperation opportunities.

Prof. Henke opened the forum with a lecture on current developments and trends in German-Chinese cooperation in logistics 4.0. Cécile Jeblawei (DAAD), Dr. Tania Becker (TU Berlin) and Tim Biermann (RWTH Aachen) then presented the DCHAN accompanying project and their networks and current research topics.

In four further lectures, logistics experts reported on their German-Chinese projects. Prof. Dianjun Fang (Tongji University) presented current challenges and opportunities in Chinese logistics before Christian Blesing presented the German-Chinese research project InFa-CTS. At the end of the presentations, Prof. Xiaoming Fu and Dr. Mayutan Arumaithurai (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) reported on their research project COSAFE and applications of blockchain technology in SCM.

A guided tour through the research halls of the Fraunhofer IML and a concluding get-together provided the conclusion of the event and once again offered plenty of opportunities for discussion and networking.

April 2019: ALUROUT at the LogiMAT in Shanghai

From 11th to 15th April 2019 the ALUROUT project team travelled to China again. In the focus of this trip was a lecture at the LogiMAT in Shanghai in a forum organized by Prof. Fang with the title "Industry 4.0 meets Made in China 2025 - The Intralogistic Intelligence Solution". ALUROUT was represented by Dr. Matthias Parlings who initially demonstrated numerous innovative intralogistics solutions from Fraunhofer IML and visions of how future supply chains can be designed. Dr. Parlings also spoke to almost 100 visitors about the challenges and opportunities of Sino-German cooperation in logistics 4.0 and presented the possibilities and advantages of ALUROUT network in this context.

As part of the China trip, the ALUROUT project team also visited two industrial companies (automobile manufacturer Geely & AGV manufacturer i-Cow) to present the advantages of the ALUROUT network and initiate future cooperation opportunities.

February 2019: ALUROUT at the logistics trade fair LogiMAT

On the 21st February of 2019, ALUROUT was represented at the LogiMAT logistics trade fair in Stuttgart in the form of a specialist forum moderated by Prof. Henke and Prof. Fottner (TU Munich). In addition to a speech by Prof. Henke, a panel discussion with industry representatives (Brian Sieben, Hilti Corporation; Stefan Ott, MIAS Group & Ulrich Dantzer, Metroplan) took place in which the opportunities and challenges of Sino-German cooperations in logistics were discussed and the potentials offered by ALUROUT were presented.

Following the specialist forum, Prof. Henke spoke with Logimat.tv. Topics of this interview included Sino-German collaborations in logistics and especially ALUROUT. A video of the interview in German can be found here.

November 2018: Sino-German Logistics Forum and second Alumni Meeting in Dortmund

After a successful kick-off event of the ALUROUT network in China in July 2018, the first event in Germany took place at the Fraunhofer IML on November 7.

The event was opened by Prof. Henke and Prof. Fang, who joined the keynote lecture "Opportunities and challenges of German-Chinese cooperation in logistics 4.0" via video conference from China. The lecture dealt with logistics in the changing Industry 4.0, where differences and similarities between Germany and China as well as cooperation possibilities based on these were worked out. Afterwards, the participants had the opportunity to gain insights into innovative logistics solutions during a guided tour through the institute. The event was rounded off by a joint workshop and a final get-together.

July 2018: Sino-German Logistics Forum and first Alumni Meeting in Shanghai

On July 31, 2018 the ALUROUT alumni met for their first event in Shanghai. Prof. Michael Henke, director of the Fraunhofer IML in the field of enterprise logistics, opened the forum with a lecture on the management of industry 4.0 along the supply chain and possible effects on the industry. In a further lecture, trends and scenarios of future supply chains were reported on and how to deal with them. The forum was complemented by two practical presentations from industry on the topics of robot applications and logistics system solutions in China.

In the following panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Dianjun Fang (CDHK & Fraunhofer IML), differences and similarities of the strategies "Made in China 2025" and "Industry 4.0" as well as experiences with German-Chinese collaborations were exchanged.

Finally, a workshop was held to discuss opportunities for future joint activities and trend topics from industry and research with the alumni in order to further intensify the exchange of knowledge between the two countries in the field of logistics.